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I wish to buy the HP cc130tx model laptop which has an i5, 8th gen processor with Win 10 pre-installed. But the tech guy at the shop said that I might not be able to successfully dual boot the laptop with Ubuntu 14. Same goes for the models released in the last 6-7 months, and that I should rather buy a 4th or 5th generation.

Is this true? If so, what is the reason behind not being able to successfully dual boot a system? And which processor, etc. requirements should I look for in a laptop, as a result?

P.S.: I specifically want to install Ubuntu 14 (LTS) since the software I want to work on does not have a stable release for the latest versions, yet. I shall upgrade later.

ProgramSpree
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  • @MichaelBay This is not a "how" question. Since I do not have a concept of dual booting, this is a "why" question - as in, why might I not be able to dual boot a laptop? – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 06:32
  • If it's a "why" then it's too broad and/or primarily opinion based and as such off topic. But no, there's no reason why you can't dual boot. However, if you do not have a concept of dual booting I wonder why you're asking? Probably better to learn about it and UEFI, using the guide above and others, before doing something you will regret later. –  Jan 07 '18 at 06:38
  • Linux Kernel 4.13 began supporting the CPU you are looking at: http://news.softpedia.com/news/linux-kernel-4-13-debuts-officially-with-intel-cannon-lake-coffee-lake-support-517606.shtml. I'm running Kernel 4.14.12 on my laptop with Ubuntu 16.04 and believe you should be able to run it with 14.04 as well. Hopefully someone has a definitive answer for you. – WinEunuuchs2Unix Jan 07 '18 at 06:41
  • Are you totally sure there's no reason why I can't dual boot? The owner said that though Ubuntu might boot, it loses all data on re-starting - and that I should buy one with older generation processor. And I do not want to spend money on laptop and fail to get my required software running. By "concept of dual booting" I mean I cannot understand why a system might not support it. – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 06:47
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    I think that that is just wrong - especially the "loses all data on restarting", that only happens when you run Ubuntu from a USB device in "try Ubuntu before installing" mode. So yes, I'm pretty sure it will work - use the instructions in the first comment, but with the latest version (16.04, or even wait until 18.04 comes out in a bit). – Jonas Czech Jan 07 '18 at 07:01
  • @JonasCz Installing the latest version is a no go. Please read my "P.S.". – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 07:05
  • I agree about being in a Catch22 but there are better ways to frame a comment. Is it an offence to not know the hardware aspects of dual boot before even buying a laptop? Yet another case where the SO community slams newbies for not being all-knowing & being too literal themselves. FYI, I think @JonasCz 's comment has been the most helpful. Relevant links: requirements & explained – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 09:24
  • It has nothing to do with dual boot. An example using Windows only: Suppose you have a piece of (outdated) software that runs in Windows 7 only and you want to buy a brand new PC "designed for Windows 10". Windows 7 may run but it will have too many issues (lack of drivers, etc.) or not at all. It's the exact same catch22 and your better option is as well running Windows 7 as a VM inside Windows. Even better, exactly as before, is to use a different, Windows 10 compatible, software instead of the outdated one. That's what the BS is all about! –  Jan 07 '18 at 09:45
  • I understand, my 2nd sentence was about another comment which you could have framed less rudely. And I have no choice but to use the software on Ubuntu 14, so my next step will have to be running a VM - mind that this software is required for work, so I cannot use any other. Hope the 8GB+, 4 core, 1TB laptop won't have any problem running a database analyser VM. – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 10:43
  • According to Will my device work with Ubuntu?, dual boot might work. Will update this thread if I successfully finish installation. – ProgramSpree Jan 07 '18 at 17:19
  • Please don't judge us (or, for that matter, SO) by the behavior of the rudest among us. Some people seem to feel that ignorance is a crime. Which is ridiculous, at the best of times, and downright moronic on a Q&A site. Sadly, some users are so desperate to show off how knowledgeable they are, they take pleasure in putting others down for what they perceive as ignorance. More fools they. – terdon Jan 08 '18 at 14:00
  • @terdon Well, this is only the second time a user has been rude. But ever since I joined SO, I have felt that the Rules (duplicacy, downvoting etc) are such that a newbie would feel discouraged from using the forum. I have read a Meta discussion regarding this topic - it's great that they have raised this issue, and thus I try not to judge the community for it ...but, really, SO is not a newbie-friendly forum! – ProgramSpree Jan 09 '18 at 15:08
  • @ProgramSpree just to make your life a bit easier here, note that this site, [ubuntu.se] (AU), is not [so] (SO) and neither site is a forum ;) That said, all you need to avoid downvotes (duplicates are not a problem, if your question is a dupe, closing it provides you with an answer since the answer of the duplicate will also work for you) is to put some effort into your question. It doesn't work perfectly, but the result is far, far more useful and informative than what you find in forums and that is very much due to the strict rules. We still have millions of users so it's not that bad. – terdon Jan 09 '18 at 15:34
  • SO is definitely not merely a Q&A site ...so I used "forum" for lack of a better term. And the example of downvotes was just one problem of many. But, tbh, the benefits and uniqueness of this site far outweigh its shortcomings ...hence us newbies bear through the learning curve. (Thanks to the creator as well as the meta community!) – ProgramSpree Jan 10 '18 at 17:10

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